Co-president of Waterville Area Art Society Irene West, left, and Maine Open Juried Art Show Committee member Barbara Chase award Best in Show to “Eclipse” by Lyell Castonguay. Submitted photo
The 29th Maine Open Juried Art Show is being hosted by Waterville Area Art Society at The Framemakers at 46 Main St., in Waterville.
Exhibition hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The show was open to all amateur and professional artists 18 and older living in Maine, including part-time residents and college students. Artists were able to submit a total of two entries, and more than $4,000 in cash prizes were awarded in five art categories, according to a news release the Maine Open Juried Art Show Committee.
The winners in five categories, as well as the piece selected as Best in Show, were chosen out of more than 100 pieces that are on exhibit. Lyell Castonguay won the Best in Show Award with “Eclipse,” a woodblock print.
In the oil, acrylic, tempera, encaustic division, Eric Glass won first place with “Head Tide, Alna,” an oil on canvas; Melanie Therrien, won second place with “Victoria,” an acrylic; and Jim McLear won third place with “Shelter and Paint,” an acrylic.
In the watercolor, pen and ink, and gouache division, Kay Morris won first the a watercolor called “The Nest”; Michael Vermette won second with a watercolor called “Small Falls, Rangeley, Maine”; and Helen Ruhlin won third place with pen (rolling ball) creation called “Clearwater Pond.”
In the photography, digital media division, C.E. Morse won first place with archival pigment on paper called “Farrago #47”; Lisa Mossel Vietze won second place with a digital archival print called “Enfolded”; and Page Eastman won third place with a photograph called “Blue Mystery.”
In the pastel, charcoal, graphite and color pencil division, Richard Huck won first place with “Patchtown”, colored pencil; Kay Sullivan won second with a pastel called “Winter’s Short Days”; and Kell Desrosiers won third with a charcoal piece called “Humpback’s Flippers.”
In other media, Bonnie Hayward won first place with an assemblage called “Porcine Flyer”; Catherine Gibson won second place with a piece made of fiber-clay, old nails, oxide washes and smoke called “Vessel of 27 Atonements”; and C.E. Nilles won third place with a fiber art piece called “The Door.”
There were three jurors for this show. Maggie Libby is a working artist who is also currently curator of Digital Discovery and Engagement in Special Collections and Archives at Colby College. Rob Smith is a nature photographer who has served as judge, mentor and moderator for critiques and workshops for different photographers’ organizations. Karen Adrienne is artist/owner and director of Artdogs Studios and Circling the Square Fine Art Press, in Gardiner.
The judges were given an opportunity to individually give a merit award. Smith’s choice was by Evan Procko, an acrylic called “Arctic River.” Adrienne’s choice was a painting over monoprint by Judith Schneider called “Causal Agents. Libby’s choice was a watercolor by Laurie Russo-Smith called “Splashing Waves.”
During the show, visitors can vote for a people’s choice award, which will be awarded at the end of the show on Friday, April 22.
The March 19 awards ceremony and slideshow of the exhibit are both available online at youtube.com/user/WAASmaine.
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